Conference on Digital Learning to be inaugurated today

New Delhi: Minister of State for Human Resource Development (Higher Education), D. Purandeswari, will inaugurate a three-day E-India 2008 (Digital Learning) Conference and Exhibition today at Hall No. 9, Pragati Maidan in the capital.

The Conference and Exhibition will put-forth views and ideas of well-known professionals and experts in the field of Digital Learning.

The first day will have four sessions, the highlight of which will be the inauguration by Purandeswari and the opening plenary which will be on 'Leading Change in e-Education: How to Succeed amid Endless Challenges'.

The second and third sessions of the day will be dedicated to the use of Information and Communication Technology for Higher Education and at the school level too.

"The Government of India has been giving special emphasis on ICT to galvanise the nation into a knowledge-driven society. Union Ministry of Human Resources Development has been pursuing this goal with unlimited vigour and accordingly is concentrating or taking the Indian education scenario to a level where ICT is available to all students and the community at large", an official said.

In order to deliver the benefits of ICT in the learning process, a new scheme named 'National Mission in Education Through ICT' will be launched with the objective of providing connectivity to the deserts to the 'Knowledge World' in cyber space and to make them 'Netizens' in order to enhance the self-learning skids and develop their capabilities for on-line problem solving.

The Mission would also work for creation of knowledge module with right contents to address the personalized needs of learners.

It will also give certification of competencies of the learners, acquired through formal or non-formal means, as also to develop and maintain the data base having profiles of human resources.

In order to deliver the benefits of ICT enabled learning, the Mission would focus attention on achieving technological break through by developing very low cost and low power consuming access devise, making available free band-width, for education purpose to every Indian and to build knowledge network between and within institutions of higher learning in the country.

The 11th Plan also accords priority to promoting research of high quality across the higher education system, modernizing curricula and evaluation system, and making them more responsive to current future challenges and needs.

During the 11th Plan Rs.85,000 crores have been earmarked for the expansion of higher education facilities.

This benefit will percolate to all parts of India as the Government is planning to set up a large number of institutions of higher education in various parts of the country.